Electric apparatus for driving clock or similar mechanisms.



H. E. WARREN. ELECTRIC APPARATUS FOR DRIVING GLOOK OR SIMILAR MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED OOT.22,1908.

Patented July 13, 1909.

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'ELEGTRIO APPARATUS FOR. DRIVING 01.001: OR SIMILAR MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.22,1908,

927,907. Patented July 13, 1909.

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-H. E. WARREN. ELECTRIC APPARATUS FOR DRIVING CLOCK 0R SIMILAR MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED 00w. 22,1908.

927,907. Patented July 13, 1909.

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ELECTRIC; APPARATUS FOR DRIVING GLOGK 0R SIMILAR MECHANISMS.

- APPLICATION FILED 00w. 22,1908.

927,907. Patented July 13, 1909. 4SHI1ET8-SHEET 4.

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HENRY E. WARREN, or ASHLaN-D, MASSACHUSETTS.

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Specification of Letters Patent,

. Patented July 13, 1909.

Application filed October 22, 1908. Serial No. 458,954.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E.'WARREN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Ashland, in the count of Middlesex and Commonwealth of a'ssachusetts, have invented Im rovements in Electrio Apparatus for Driving Clock or Similar Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. p

The invention relates to electrical a paratus for propelling clock or similar mec anism with a minimum expenditure of elec trical energy, and consists in the employment, with the usual ndulum or oscillating balance wheel and e ectro-magnet or other device, by which the pendulum is given periodic impulses to im art energy thereto and keep its arc of osc' ation practically constant, of a pair of electric contacts in the circuitwith such impulse device, one or both of which contacts are of substantial mass and of resilient material sup rted'in such manner and acted upon by a orce such as gravity .or the stress of a spring, that they tend constantly to approac each other and normally to remain together, but when se arated and allowed to suddenly strike toget er, will rebound again and again until the resilient or elastic energy due to the diminishing force of impact is dissipated, and the two masses come to rest in close contact.- These two masses serve as a make-and-break device in the electric circuit, and one may be stationary and serve as an abutment for the other, which is .adapted to move to and from such abutment; or each may be capable of vibratory movement in relation to the other, and

one or' both may be of resilient material.

Means are also provided by which the oscillating pendulum will suddenly separate these contacts near the end of the path of its vibration, preferably in one direction only, although in some instances it may be found desirable to locate a pair of such contacts at each end of such path. Also, an electrical device which has considerable self-inductance in its circuit is preferably employed, to

impart impulse to the oscillating pendulum, so that during the vibration or rebounding of the two electric contacts no appreciable current will flow through the circuit and no material impulse will be given to the pendulum, until such contacts come together in a state of rest.

In the drawings forming a part of this s ecificatiou, Figure 1 is a front elevation 0 one form of the improved electrical devices, and a detached ortion of a clock mechanism; Fig. 2 is an e evation of another form of such devices; Fig. 3 is still another form'of such devices applied to an oscillating balancewheel instead of a pendulum; and Fig. 4 is a similar construction to that shown in Fig. 2 with the resilient contacts and magnet coil du licated.

esignating the parts of the apparatus by reference letters, P is the pendulum rod and B the bob, the lower end of which is of magnetic material and swings in close proximity to the pole A of an electro-ma net M.

Referring to Fig. 1, the ma e-and-break electric contacts consist of a lever with small masses C, C, at the res ective ends,-and suported on a ivot at secured in a metal lockjD. e center of gravity of this lever is shifted to one side of the pivot by means of a projecting piece E, which givesthe mass 0 a constant tendency to swing toward the other electrical contact or abutment F, which is illustrated as supported upon a flexible strip of metal G secured to metal block H. The two blocks D, H are connected in circuit with a battery I and the magnet M, wires W. From the lower mass C a pin projects into the path of movement of the pendulum rod P, and near the upper end of the rod P, a pawl L is attached, and extends outward so as to engage the ratchet wheel R of the clock train T. For the purpose of regulating the time of swing of the pendulum, a weight S is mounted upon a screw-threaded portion of the rod P.

\ Instead of the make-and-break device shown in Ii 1, the mass 0 may be mounted upon a flexi le strip N, (see Fig. 2), which is held in a metal block N, and a Iprojecting piece is attached to the pendu um rod P to stri e a pin K for the purpose of separating the contacts C, F, and setting one of them into vibration.

In order to limit the time when it is possible to close the electric circuit to a definite ortion of the swing of the oscillating device, or the purpose of economizing electric energy, and as a safe uard to prevent the battery from being ex austed when the pendulum is at rest, an auxiliary contact 0 is provided which is mounted upon a flexible strip Q, supported in the block N in such a position that when. the pendulum rod P hangs perpendicularly, or is swinging through a small sector upon either side of the perpenndicularline, it will not touch the contact 0.

cuit is then through the ance wheel V sup orted ona tpivot a which may be employe in place 0 a pendulum. Upon one side of the mm of the wheel V is a scroll-shaped projection X, upon which the magnet acts when the circuit W, W, is closed at C, F, and thus ives additional impulse to the oscillation o the wheel V whenever the amplitude of such oscillation debecome negli 'b e.

creases so as to fall below the predetermined normal. The rotation of the wheel V is against the stress of the helical spring Y, the inner end of which is secured to the hub of the Wheel V and the outer end to a pin 'y held in a fixed part of the frame. Upon the eriphery of the wheel V is a projecting piece and the strip N is located in such a position in relation to the wheel V that when the are through which it oscillates is normal, the projection Z will strike the upper end of the strip N and separate the contacts 0, F, and

set them into vibration, thus breaking the circuit W, W, and causing the magnetic-pull of the magnet u on the wheel V to cease or As soon, however, as the am litude 0 the oscillation diminishes to sue a de ree that the projection Z' does not displace t e end of the strip N sufliciently to keep it in vibration during a complete oscillation of the balance-wheel, the contacts C,

F, will come together-in a state of rest, the circuit will be closed and the magnet will again 'act upon the wheel Y to give it fresh impulse. The position of the scroll X, projection strikes t e upper end of N, is indicated in dotted lines.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that after the pendulum or other oscillating device has been manually set in motion, such device or the part projecting therefrom will strike the support of the contact mass C, thereby separatirig that contact from the opposed abutment immediately that the oscillating device swings in the opposite direction, the mass flies back and strikes its 0 posed abutment, and by reason of the res' iency of one or both of them the mass C rebounds, and continues such action repeatedly but at regularly decreasing intervals,

until it is hit another blow by the oscillating device or else comes to rest against the opposed abutment and closes the circuit through the battery and magnet M, thus permitting the full current to flow through the magnet and cause it to exert magnetic force to pull the pendulum bob toward it, as the and strip N, at the time when Z air space between them decreases when the bob swings toward the magnet poles, there by giving the pendulum a fresh impulse and increasing the arc of its swing.

As heretofore stated, the magnet M is constructed so as to have considerable self-induction in its circuit, and therefore during the time that the contacts 0 and F are rapidly striking together and separating by reason of their resiliency, the currentwhich passes through the circuit W, W, and magnet M, during the instants of contact of C with F, is so small as to be negligible and the magnet is not suflicientl energized to produce any appreciable e ect upon the pendulum. So long as the amplitude of the arc of the pendulum swing is sufiicient to enable it to return and strike the contact 0 before it has ceased to vibrate b reason of its resiliency, such contact will e given an additional impulse, but each succeeding one not quite so powerful as the previous one, and thus the recurring oscillations of the pendulum and the periods of vibrations of the mass C will gradually diminish until the latter will come to rest in contact with the abutment F during the interval occupied bythe pendulum in swinging away from and back to the support of the mass 0. During this eriod of rest or continued contact between and F, the full current will pass through the magnet M, and by thus energizing it give another impulse to the pendulum, w ich will cause it to strike the support of the contact C with greater force, and the same cycle of operations will erating in this manner act as a time limit relay, which operatively closes the circuit only after varying limits of time determined in this'case by the extent of the are through which the oscillating device moves.

Under some conditions it may be found desirable to du licate the make-and-break mechanism 0, locating devices similar to those shown in Fig. 2, for instance, upon the opposite side of t e pendulum rod, as illustrated in Fig. 4, where the two sets of devices are shown as practically inde endent. Add: ed reliability is thus secure because either battery will continue to drive the endulum if the other fails. By omitting attery I and wire W and connecting the two magnets M by wire W the apparatus may be operated by a single batte plicatin the magnet as shown, it may be coated eneath the bob B in a vertical line passing through the support U, and the magnetic material on the lower end of the bob omitted at the middle portion and applied only at the outer portions, or the middle portion of the bob may be cut away. Any other electrical means than an electromagnet may be used in the circuit with contacts C, F, to add energy to the oscillating device, with the same result. Under some and instead of du- 1 s I conditions it may also be found advantageous i crate such .relay. When thus arranged t e main electric circuit would be made and broken at the relay contacts.

I elaim:

1. The combination of an oscillating device, electrical means to give it added impulse when oscillating, an electric circuit including such impulse means and also resilient make-and-break devices, one of which latter devices is adapted to be set in vibra tion in relation to the other, by the impact of the oscillating device, and thus interrupt the electric circuit for periods of time which vary in proportion to the variation in the length of the are through which said oscillating device swings.

2. The combination of an oscillating device, electrical means for imparting added energy thereto when oscillating, a movable mass capable of sustained vibration against an abutment, an abutment with which such mass makes impact and against which it is normally at rest, means for periodically communicating motion of the oscillating device to said mass, to separate it momentarily from its abutment, and a source of electric energy in circuit with the means for imparting energy to the oscillating device and with electric conducting contacts on the saidv mass and its abutment.

3. The combination of an oscillating device, electrical means to give it added impulse when in oscillation, an easily movable mass which has an electric contact and is resilien tly supported near the end of the arc in which the oscillating device swings, an abut-v ment of electric conducting material against which said mass may strike and rebound, means to cause the oscillating device to throw the mass from its abutment at the end of each oscillation, and an electric circuit including said impulse adding means, the said mass and its abutment. 4. In mechanism for propelling clocks-an similar apparatus at uniform rate of speed, an electric circuit, a time-limit relay therein consisting of a mass, resiliently supported so as to be adapted to vibrate for limited varying periods, an abutment against which said mass strikes during vibration; means for starting the mass into vibration and electrical contacts upon the mass and its abutment through which the circuit is closed when the mass is at rest against the abutment.

5. A time-limit relay for an electric circult, consisting of a mass of material resiliently supported so as to be adapted to v1- brate for limited intervals of time against an abutment, an abutment against which said mass will strike and rebound durin vibration, means to start the mass into vi ration, and electric contacts upon the mass and its abutment through which the circuit is closed when the mass ceases vibration and is at rest against the abutment, and by which an added impulse of vibration is caused to be im arted to the said mass.

6. he combination of a freely oscillating device, a pair of readily separable electrical contacts which will vibrate by resilient force when given sudden impact together, means operated by the oscillating device to throw one of said contacts from'the other, an electrical device which has self-induction in its circuit and which gives added impulse to the oscillating device whenever the extent of its swing is below normal, and an electric circuit which includes the impulse device and or more of which are of resilient material,

and which normally tend to remain together, means operated by the pendulum to sepa rate said contacts at one limit of its vibration and a device upon thependulum to act directly upon the mechanlsm to be propelled.

8. The combination of an oscillating device, an electric circuit, readily separable contacts and electrical means to impart energy to the oscillating device, in said circuit, means operated by the oscillating device to set said contacts into vibratory impact, and auxiliary contacts in the circuit which are normally open and are closed by the oscillating device at the outer portions only of its arc of vibration.

9. The combination of an oscillating device, an electric circuit, electrical means in the circuit to impart energy to the oscillating device, primary electric contacts which are separated by the oscillating device, but which normally close the circuit, and secondary contacts normally open, but which are closed by the oscillating device-during a portion only of its arc of vibration.

10. The combination of an oscillating device, an electric circuit, electrical means actuated by the oscillating device to maintain its oscillation, and auxiliary means in the electric circuit which automatically prevent the flow of current therein when the oscillating device is at rest.

HENRY E. WARREN. \Vitnesses:

JOSEPHINE ll. RYAx', FLORENCE A. (IuLLlxs. 

